Cabernet Franc was one of the first of the Bordeaux varietals to be planted in Livermore, on or shortly after 1882. It was known as the wild parent of Cabernet Sauvignon, but our valley’s first winemakers quickly realized that the grape could be tamed. Indeed, by 1889, Livermore Cabernet Franc was considered one of the varietals upon which the fame of its finest vintages rested.

Grapes were hand-harvested at night, stemmed without crushing, and left to rest for 24 hours before allowing fermentation to begin. The wine was fermented in small containers, punched down gently by hand four times each day in the beginning, and then two times towards the end of fermentation. The fermented juice was then pressed to tank, where it was allowed to rest for seven days before transferring to barrel. After seven days of settling, the juice was racked to French Oak barrels, where it was aged for 20 months prior to bottling unfined and coarse filtered.

Our Cabernet Franc was sourced entirely from a unique block of vines in the Del Arroyo Vineyard. The block is sheltered from the prevailing winds, and a slightly northern exposure allows us to create a more open canopy to accelerate ripening.